Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to semiconductor packages and, more particularly, to chip stack packages, system in packages including the same, and methods of operating the same.
In the electronics industry, ultra small and compact semiconductor memory devices with high capacity of data storage ability are increasingly in demand with the development of lighter, smaller, faster, multi-functional, and higher performance portable mobile products. In general, there are two solutions to achieve the high capacity of data storage ability of the semiconductor memory devices. One is to increase the integration density of semiconductor memory chips included in the semiconductor memory devices, and the other is to assemble a plurality of semiconductor memory chips into a single semiconductor package. Much effort, high cost and much time may be required to increase the integration density of semiconductor memory chips. In contrast, the technology for assembling a plurality of semiconductor memory chips into a single semiconductor package may have various advantages in terms of development cost, development time and/or the like. Accordingly, multi chip package techniques for mounting and assembling a plurality of semiconductor memory chips into a single semiconductor package are widely used to improve the data storage ability of the semiconductor memory devices. The multi chip packages may be fabricated using diverse manners. Recently, stack packages fabricated by vertically stacking a plurality of semiconductor chips have been widely provided because stack package techniques have some advantages in terms of fabrication cost and mass production.
In general, the stack packages may have a single channel configuration that transmits signals using a single channel. However, in some application areas of the stack packages, a multi channel configuration transmitting the signals through a plurality of channels may be used to meet the requirement of fast operation speed. In the event that the stack packages employ the multi channel configuration, a plurality of semiconductor chips constituting each of the stack packages may be divided into a plurality of channel groups. Thus, each of the channel groups may need a plurality of signal pads disposed on a package substrate to receive or output input/output (I/O) data. In such a case, however, if the number of the channel groups increases, the number of the signal pads and the number of signal transmission means between the signal pads and the semiconductor chips may also increase. This may lead to an increase of sizes of the semiconductor packages (e.g., the stack packages).